RMS measurements are often used when assessing a signal. Typical RMS calculators require a squaring operation, summation and division, and a square root operation. When dealing with high-speed sampling of signals, it important to realize circuits that operate quickly with high dynamic range and that avoid unnecessary complexity.
Bitstreams, such as delta-sigma modulated signals, present a difficulty for RMS calculations. Direct multiplication of bitstreams is not possible without converting the signal to a multi-bit domain or employing single-bit techniques that add significant noise. Accordingly, implementing an RMS calculator for a delta-sigma modulated signal often requires use of a high-speed multi-bit multiplier, which is costly in terms of hardware resources.
It would be advantageous to provide for alternative methods and devices for determining RMS values for bitstream signals.